American Catholic

G. Hart D.

Description

American Catholic places the rise of the United States' political conservatism in the context of ferment within the Roman Catholic Church. How did Roman Catholics shift from being perceived as un-American to emerging as the most vocal defenders of the United States as the standard bearer in world history for political liberty and economic prosperity? D. G. Hart charts the development of the complex relationship between Roman Catholicism and American conservatism, and shows how these two seemingly antagonistic ideological groups became intertwined in advancing a certain brand of domestic and international politics. Contrary to the standard narrative, Roman Catholics were some of the most assertive political conservatives directly after World War II, and their brand of politics became one of the most influential means by which Roman Catholicism came to terms with American secular society. It did so precisely as bishops determined the church needed to update its teaching about its place in the modern world. Catholics grappled with political conservatism long before the supposed rightward turn at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.Hart follows the course of political conservatism from John F. Kennedy, the first and only Roman Catholic president of the United States, to George W. Bush, and describes the evolution of the church and its influence on American politics. By tracing the roots of Roman Catholic politicism in American culture, Hart argues that Roman Catholicism's adaptation to the modern world, whether in the United States or worldwide, was as remarkable as its achievement remains uncertain. In the case of Roman Catholicism, the effects of religion on American politics and political conservatism are indisputable.

Sujets

• Histoire
• USA
• United States of America
• Central government
• Catholic Church
• 20th century
• History of the Americas
• Central
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501751981
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

American Catholic

A volume in the series Religion and American Public Life Edited by R. Laurence Moore and Darryl Hart

For a list of books in the series, visit our website at cornellpress.cornell.edu

American Catholic

The Politics of Faith during the Cold War

D. G. Hart

Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2020 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. Visit our website at cornellpress.cornell.edu.

First published 2020 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Names: Hart, D. G. (Darryl G.), author. Title: American Catholic : the politics of faith during the Cold War / D.G. Hart. Description: Ithaca [New York] : Cornell University Press, 2020. | Series: Religion and American public life | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020016730 (print) | LCCN 2020016731 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501700576 (cloth) | ISBN 9781501751974 (epub) | ISBN 9781501751981 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Catholic Church—United States—History— 20th century. | Christianity and politics—United States—History— 20th century. | Christianity and politics—Catholic Church—History— 20th century. | Church and state—United States—History—20th century. | Conservatism—United States—History—20th century. Classification: LCC BX1406.3 .H37 2020 (print) | LCC BX1406.3 (ebook) | DDC 261.7088/28273—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016730 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016731

Cover photo: President John F. Kennedy delivers an address on May 4, 1962, from the balcony of City Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

To Crawford Gribben

Preface

Contents

Introduction: How Americanism Won

1. Belonging to an Ancient Church in a Modern Republic

2. Public Duty, Private Faith

3. Americanism for the Global Church

4. Liberal Catholics, American Conservatives

5. The Extremities of Defending Liberty

6. The Limits of Americanism

7. Americanism Revived

8. Americanism Redux

Conclusion: Freedom and Roman Catholicism in Postconciliar America

ix

1

18

41

65

88

112

136

160

184

209

vi i i

Notes

Contents

Bibliographic Essay

Index

229

243

253

Preface

As a general rule, confessional lines divide the study of Christianity and politics in the United States. One might think that the literature on Prot estants and politics in America would be larger than that on Roman Catholics since the former had a bigger role in shaping the nation, since Protestant institutions (even in secularized forms) have dominated the study of religion, and since contemporary Protestants themselves have dominated public perceptions of major episodes in recent political his tory (civil rights and the religious Right). As it turns out, a quick search at OCLC’s WorldCat shows that librarians have catalogued more than twice as many books on Roman Catholics and U.S. politics (385) than on Protestants (152). As inexact as that search may be (simply adding “Protestant” or “Catholic” to the subject heading of “Christianity and Politics United States”), the point remains that scholars from Protestant backgrounds generally explore Protestantrelated subjects, while a similar trend characterizes the history of Roman Catholicism in the United States. Since this author has contributed to the Protestant side of the academic